Week one of the Musk v. Altman trial: What it was like in the room
MIT Technology Review / 5/5/2026
💬 OpinionSignals & Early TrendsIndustry & Market Moves
Key Points
- Sam Altman and Elon Musk began their court face-off in Oakland, California, with Musk suing OpenAI over allegations related to the company’s activities.
- The report describes what it was like inside the courtroom during the opening week of the trial.
- The dispute highlights the high-stakes personal and business tensions at the center of major AI players.
- The trial is being closely watched because its outcome could affect both OpenAI’s governance and Musk’s broader involvement in AI-related efforts.
This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here. Two of the most powerful people in AI—Sam Altman and Elon Musk—began their face-off in court in Oakland, California, last week. Musk is suing OpenAI, alleging that the millions he spent to…
